What this MCCB delivers — and what it doesn't
The Siemens 3VA1116-3EF36-0AC0 is a 3-pole SENTRON molded case circuit breaker rated for line protection, carrying 160 A continuous current (Iu) through a TM240 thermal-magnetic release. At 240 V it interrupts 75.6 kA — enough headroom for most industrial main or feeder panels where the available fault current sits below that threshold. At 415 V that figure drops to 52.5 kA, and at 690 V to 10.5 kA, so selectivity studies need to check the actual system voltage against the curve. The TM240 release is fixed-trip thermal with a magnetic pickup; the adjustable time delay tr maxes at 1 s. No undervoltage release, no shunt trip, no ground-fault module, no communication function — this is a straight-ahead thermal-magnetic breaker for panels where those extras aren't wired in. The two HQ auxiliary switches (form C) are built in, so you get status feedback without an add-on block. Panel builders take note: the front face is IP40 — fine for a clean indoor enclosure, but not for washdown zones. Depth is 70 mm, width 76.2 mm, height 130 mm; it fits the standard SENTRON mounting footprint, so swapping into an existing 3VA panel cutout is straightforward.
Thermal derating — read the real current at your panel ambient
The 160 A rating holds flat from 40 °C to 50 °C. At 55 °C it derates to 153.6 A, at 60 °C to 150.4 A, at 65 °C to 147.2 A, and at 70 °C to 144 A. If your panel runs hot — say 55 °C inside a sealed enclosure — the breaker still carries 153.6 A continuous, but you lose about 4% of headroom. That matters for a feeder sized at 160 A; you'd want to verify the connected load doesn't exceed the derated value. Operating ambient range is -25 °C to 70 °C; storage range is -40 °C to 80 °C. The storage limit is wider because the breaker isn't carrying current — that's the handling envelope, not the running one.